Zootopia in the hotel: the differential impacts of robotic zoomorphism on customer evaluations

Purpose The emerging adoption of animaloids in hotel services has sparked guest interest by redefining hospitality experiences. Existing works on human−robot interaction, however, have mostly focused on the impacts of anthropomorphism on consumer perception but attended much less to robotic zoomorphism (i.e. making robots animal-like). Drawing on literature on robotic morphology, stereotype content model and self-construal theory, this research aims to investigate the impacts of robotic zoomorphism on customer evaluations. Design/methodology/approach Four experimental studies (n = 1,221) were conducted among Chinese consumers to test a moderated serial mediation framework, which specifies the downstream effect of robotic zoomorphism on service satisfaction via warmth and eeriness, and the moderating role of chronic self-construal. Findings Study 1 reveals the role of warmth (vis-à-vis competence) in clustering human perception of generic animaloids. Studies 2A and 2B validate the serial mediation via enhanced warmth and reduced eeriness as the mechanism underlying the effect of robotic zoomorphism on hotel service satisfaction. Study 3 further demonstrates chronic self-construal as the individually varied condition that moderates the effect of robotic zoomorphism on warmth and on the mediation mechanism. Practical implications The findings offer critical insights for mitigating the risks of adopting animaloids in the hospitality sector. Originality/value This research adds new knowledge to robotic hotel services by revealing the critical role of warmth in the differential judgment of animaloids, leading to important implications for the deployment of zoomorphic robots in hotels.